Pak-Iran role vital to solve Ummah’s problems: Envoy

ISLAMABAD - Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honordoost has said that Iran and Pakistan as powerful countries of the Islamic world can play important role in solving of the issues of Muslims worldwide.

Speaking to The Nation here, he said Iran and Pakistan can resolve the issues of the Islamic Ummah (nation) and help the Muslim-majority countries prosper. “Besides the two countries can play important role in stability, endurance and economic development of the region,” he said.

Honordoost said the Islamic world was facing various issues and consequently the energies of the Islamic countries were put upon conflicts and devastating wars. “Every day, these countries have to suffer irreparable loss of lives and property. Emergence of the menace of terrorism is one of issues, which have affected the Islamic world more than other parts of the world,” he said. The envoy said extremist groups had damaged the peaceful image of Islam and brought huge disasters to the Muslim-majority countries. “Such groups, which are protégé of foreign elements, have become instruments to achieve their nefarious goals,” he said. Honordoost said the history of relationships and hegemonic presence of big powers in this historical-cultural region was full of “mad behaviours” along with “malicious intent” which had been main source in formation of terrorism and extremism.

Some western countries as the biggest seller and exporter of advanced military equipment and warfare to specific governments in the region, he said, and have important and significant role in “fomenting of tensions, crisis, warmongering, to put more security pressures and political strangulation in some regional countries, the policies whose tragic results on important areas of this region are today clearly visible, evident and also judged by the world.”

In the existing world, the envoy said: “We cannot expect honouring of agreements and pacts by big powers like US. Withdrawal of Trump from a multilateral nuclear international agreement has proved hegemonic, broken promise and untrustworthy nature of the US administration.”

Obviously, he said: “the current circumstances are the result of divergence and divide in the Islamic World and playbook of dominance over convergence and unity among the Islamic countries.”

Honordoost said the existence of important international and regional mechanisms like the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Economic Cooperation Organisation, D-8, provided necessary instruments for bringing the Islamic countries close to each other. “Any type of instability in the region has impact on the security and economic of the countries of the area, including Pakistan and Iran. So two countries should think about strengthening of peace and stability in the region, to remove social and economic problems reduce intervention of foreign countries, by maintaining of security and protecting the interests of the regional countries,” he said.

Honordoost said maintaining of security in the border and fight against extremism and violence were the basic issues in the constructive connections between the two countries. “Long borders between the two countries could be constructive factor in strengthening of ties and instrument of not only further boosting of relations between the two countries, rather in the regional countries,” he added.

The envoy said excessive growth of extremism in the region was the result of the failure of the leaders of Islamic countries in creation of a creative and growing society and financial and intellectual involvement of others. “It is possible through cultural efforts, proximity of sects and unity of Ummah (nation) including Shia and Sunni and followers of other Islamic sects and creation of developed societies,” he maintained.

Honordoost said in this juncture, it is necessary that Iran and Pakistan should on the basis of decades of experience of friendly ties, bring new milestone in the bilateral, multilateral interactions based on common interest.

“Cooperation between the two countries at regional and world level also could be fruitful. Pakistan and Iran being located in the connectivity corridor of East and West can contribute more in the economic and cultural development of the world. Potentials of the two countries in boosting of relations in the various fields, more than volume of economic exchanges being made in the different areas,” he said.

Honordoost said joining of Iran to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will accelerate the process of regional integration, “which will not only fulfill the requirements and interests of the regional countries, rather ensure the security of the region.”